The Catedral Santiago Apostol , or in English the Cathedral of St. James the Apostle, is a Catholic cathedral

Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

 located on the town plaza in Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Fajardo is a small city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Ceiba and east of Luquillo.Fajardo is spread over 7 wards and Downtown Fajardo , which serves as the administrative center of the city...

. Along with Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesus

Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesús (Humacao, Puerto Rico)

The Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesús, or in English the Co-Cathedral of the Sweet Name of Jesus, is a Catholic cathedral located on the town plaza in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Along with the Catedral Santiago Apóstol in Fajardo it is the seat of the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao...

 in Humacao

Humacao, Puerto Rico

Humacao is a city in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 10 wards and Humacao Pueblo...

 it is the seat of the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and consists of part east and the northeast of the island of Puerto Rico, an American commonwealth.The diocese is led by Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales...

. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 as Church Santiago Apóstol of Fajardo in 1984.

History

The parish was established in 1766 and the first church building was completed in 1776. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1867. Construction of the present church began two years later utilizing the side walls and floor tiles of the previous church. It became a cathedral church when Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

 established d the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao on March 11, 2008.

Architecture

The building was designed by Don Pedro A. Beibal. It is located on the north side of the town plaza and is surrounded by a balustrade concrete wall with pillars that features metal grillwork gates. A square bell tower dominates the main façade

Facade

A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....

. The bells are in the third level contained within open arches. Two small windows flank the tower and define the side naves on the interior. The side facades feature a doorway and four windows. A large parish house, which was built later, blocks the back of the cathedral from view.

Simple pillars divide the main nave

Nave

In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...

 from the side aisles in the interior. The five pillars divide the space into six bays. The first bay includes the vestibule and features a spiral wooden staircase to the choir loft. The apse

Apse

In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...

is square in shape and is crowned by a brick lanterned dome.